Tea flavors and flavored tea… Are these bad? Yes and no. It really depends. And most of all, it depends on the quality of the tea base and the flavoring agents.
There are many possible reasons for the existence of that “natural” flavor in your cup of tea. Sometimes, an overpowering scent only serves to cover the sub-par grade of the tea base. That being said, many high quality, artfully crafted loose leaf flavored tea blends also exist on the market, sporting sustainable ingredients and aromas with aplomb. Tea masters around the world utilize different botanical ingredients like spices, herbs, essential oils, and fragrant blooms to create sophisticated and dimensional tea flavors.
Endless tea flavors
We love quality loose leaf flavored tea in all its forms and variations. From all-time classics like Earl Grey and Masala Chai to complex exotic tea blends, there is a brew for every taste and every occasion. That explains the enthusiasm with which flavored teas are prepared by tea companies across the globe.
So, how are these tea flavors created?
Tea leaves have a natural affinity for surrounding aromas. Traditionally, flavored teas were prepared by adding to tea a multitude of things such as herbs, spices, flower petals, or pieces of dried fruits. These methods are still utilized by the modern tea industry. Alternatively, tea flavoring can be achieved by glazing tea leaves with natural extracts, essential oils, or synthesized flavoring agents, both nature-identical and purely artificial (nonexistent in nature). Most of the time, tea is flavored with nature-identical flavorings.
What does “nature-identical flavoring” mean anyway? 
Nature-identical flavorings have the same chemical structure as natural scents, even though they were synthesized in a laboratory rather than being derived from plants. Chemically synthesized flavors tend to be more stable, consistent, affordable, and overall very efficient in use. The culprit is not the chemical compound of nature-identical agents (which is the same as natural by definition), but the quantity of those agents exploited in food (and tea) processing. Flavors in such large amounts as sometimes used in industrial production are simply not found in nature. So that, supermarket “flavored” teas with harsh overwhelming scents might be unnaturally high in nature-identical chemicals.
Some of those controversial chemicals are salicylates. Salicylates, such as methyl salicylate, are generally found in most fruits and many vegetables. Some people are more sensitive to them than others. However, the higher the dose consumed, the more chances to get affected with unpleasant symptoms like headaches and rashes. Note that USFDA does not differentiate between nature-identical and purely artificial flavorings and dubs any flavoring agent that is not derived from natural sources “artificial”.
Often, a tea blend would reflect a combination of different flavoring techniques, further explaining the sheer variety of tea flavors out there.
The art – and the challenge – of commercial tea blending is to get a consistent result with every batch. Think about it. Once the tea master successfully created a new tea blend, he would need to be able to reproduce it, again and again, so the loyal customer would get the same cup of their favorite English Breakfast tea every morning.
Crafting homemade flavored tea blends. Isn’t that difficult? 
With so many natural flavors and fragrances waiting to make their way into your cup of tea, it may be time to take things one step further.
You’ll need loose tea leaves (green tea, black tea, oolong – it’s your choice), fillable tea bags (optional), and of course the oils, spices, dry flowers, pieces of fruits with scents you’d like to infuse into the tea.
Lay the tea leaves out on a clean surface, preferably glass, and spray the flavoring oil on them. Alternatively, you can mix the tea base with dry ingredients such as flower petals (jasmine, cherry blossoms, lavender, chamomile, and rose work great), herbs (mint tea is a popular choice), or spices and dried fruits (cinnamon, ginger… the list is endless).
After that, the dry tea mixture should be stored in an airtight container for at least a day, for tea leaves to absorb the flavor or scent you’ve chosen. And that’s it. Bag your freshly prepared blend and kick-start your mornings with the perfect homemade brew! This is as natural as it gets.
Now, how do you properly taste tea?
Every cup of tea has a world of aromas, flavors, and undertones. For the best experience, brew your tea in freshwater that is heated to the correct temperature. Use an infuser to steep your tea, and add the correct quantity of tea leaves for the amount of water you’re using. Make sure you smell the tea leaves when they’re dry, and then again once you start pouring the tea; wet leaves will smell distinctly different than their dry counterparts. When sipping your tea, take your time so you can experience its initial ‘head notes’, its main ‘body notes’, and its lingering ‘tail notes’. Like wine tasting, tea tasting is a skill that one can perfect with practice, so keep treating yourself to new flavors and blends!
Top 12 best flavored tea blends to buy online
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Organic Coconut Assam Tea Bags Bold Assam tea and toasty coconut create a sweet and nutty blend. |
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Moroccan Mint Tea Delicate, fresh, sweet. Organic peppermint and spearmint are hand-blended with organic gunpowder green tea to create this refreshing blend. This cool, soothing mint tea adds a refreshing touch to any meal. |
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Sparkling Ginger Mint Green Tea An exhilarating blend of the season's best green teas with ginger, mint, and lemongrass. A specialty green tea blend that offers an unmatched feeling of tranquility and vitality, courtesy of our proficient in-house blenders. Our Sparkling Ginger Mint Green Tea is a blend of the season's best green teas mixed with the earthy goodness of ginger, the freshness of spearmint and peppermint, topped with the alluring citrusy notes of lemongrass. A perfect balance of acidic and sweet flavours which are smooth on the palate and leave you feeling rejuvenated. |
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Lemon Ginger Tea Organic This uplifting tea is especially soothing after a long, stressful day. It is a sweet, mild-bodied tea with the refreshing taste of lemon, the soothing effects of ginger and peppermint, along with a delicious hint of licorice. It is the perfect tea to drink during the Winter season, and It's also great for iced tea. Caffeine-Free. |
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Mango Ceylon Tea Organic, Fair Trade The smooth flavor of Organic Black Tea and mango flavor along with elegant organic calendula petals gives this tea a uniquely refreshing, tropical flavor. It can be served hot, and It's also great for iced tea. |
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Sweet & Floral Blended Black Tea, Rose Petal Black Anhui, China Also known 'Meigui Hongcha', Rose Petal Black is a blend of the popular Chinese black tea 'Keemun' and fragrant red rose petals.
Robust Keemun. The small leaf tea from Qimen county of Anhui province is best known as the main ingredient for the popular 'English Breakfast' blends.
Red Rose Petals. Although there is a vast universe of rose varieties, the ideal for combining with Keemun are the red roses native to Qimen county. They have a distinct, sweet, cooling aroma that lends balance to the blend.
Pairing: Rose Petal Black pairs well with slightly spicy and oily foods. It also makes a good iced tea. One of our favorite recipes is to prepare a sauce from Rose Petal Black and pour it over vanilla ice cream. |
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White Coconut Creme Tea Creamy, smooth, sweet. A dreamy, tropical coconut white tea. White Coconut Ceme tea has a light body and smooth creamy texture. A customer favorite both hot and iced. This product contains the following allergenic ingredient(s: Coconut |
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Mandarin Silk Tea Floral, fruity, sweet. Our Mandarin Silk tea is a smooth, rich blend of Pouchong tea leaves blended with lemon myrtle and vanilla essence. With creamy and citrus notes, this oolong tea is certain to delight your senses. |
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Sweet Cinnamon Masala Chai Tea The signature flavor of strong Assam tea blended with freshly crushed cinnamon and cardamom. We present to you a signature chai blend of robust, flavourful Assam black tea with the splendid, discernible flavours of freshly crushed cardamom and cinnamon. The malty flavour of bold Assam teas with the sweetness of cinnamon and hints of cardamom in the background to balance the brew- altogether a joyous experience! A smooth cup of tea with the right hit of tanginess to give you a refreshing and delectable cup of tea! |
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Isabelle is a freelance writer, self-taught tea nerd, and tea blending enthusiast. She is a herbalist with a strong interest in Ayurveda. Each year Isabelle travels extensively, returning with tea samples from around the world. She is a big fan of handmade teaware and Japanese green teas.